Au Revoir to Paris’s Best Cassoulet Restaurant

Au Bon Saint Pourcain 1

One of my favorite cold-weather comfort-food meals in Paris is cassoulet. A few years ago, I stumbled across the very best cassoulet I’ve ever tasted, at Au Bon Saint Pourcain — a tiny restaurant in the shadow of Saint Sulpice church. But fellow fans of the eatery began to notice in mid-2014 that the restaurant was temporarily closed, with signs in the window indicating “Ferme Pour Travaillez (Closed for Work).” After several months of seemingly no progress, patrons–locals and visitors alike–began to question when the renovations would be complete. And now we know the disappointing answer. Continue Reading →

Best Cold-Weather Comfort Food: Cassoulet!

cassoulet

While the U.S. is stuck in the deep freeze, I’m thinking about my favorite cold-weather comfort foods: mac and cheese, chicken pot pie, potato-cheddar soup. But the tastiest and most comforting comfort food I’ve ever eaten is French cassoulet, a white-bean stew with duck confit, sausage and bacon baked in a thick sauce, and then topped with bread crumbs and browned under the broiler. Delish! Continue Reading →